Lemony Beans and Spinach over Pasta
Recipe: #6410
September 04, 2012
Categories: Side Dishes, Lemon, Garlic Onions, Spinach, Italian, 5-Minute Prep, Sunday Dinner, more
"A friend sent me this recipe a few years ago, and it is just so good - it is worth posting. I made a couple of changes for my tastes; but this is just easy, inexpensive, but still so satisfying. Me, I prefer to serve this as a side dish; but it would also be a great main vegetarian dish; or, add some sliced chicken for those who want a little heartier dish. Even though it is both beans and pasta ... it still has a very light taste with the lemon and spinach."
Ingredients
Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (404.1 g)
- Calories 500.2
- Total Fat - 10 g
- Saturated Fat - 1.5 g
- Cholesterol - 1.9 mg
- Sodium - 329.7 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 85.7 g
- Dietary Fiber - 9.8 g
- Sugars - 7.7 g
- Protein - 19.6 g
- Calcium - 211.5 mg
- Iron - 6.1 mg
- Vitamin C - 13.4 mg
- Thiamin - 1 mg
Step by Step Method
Step 1
Base ... Add the oil to a saute pan and bring to medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until slightly tender; about 2-3 minutes.
Step 2
Roux ... Then, add the flour and whisk until the flour is incorporated with the oil. Cook just a minute on medium heat, but make sure it does not burn or get too brown.
Step 3
Sauce ... Add the broth and bring to a light boil to thicken the sauce. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and add the beans, lemon juice (start out with 4 tablespoons, you can add more if you want), capers, and lightly season with salt and pepper. You can re-season after you add the spinach and toss with the pasta. Cook just a minute to incorporate everything.
Step 4
Pasta ... As the sauce cooks, cook the pasta according to package directions in plenty of salted water.
Step 5
Finish ... Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. I also like to add a little of the pasta water as well, it makes a nice creamy sauce; but not necessary. Add the spinach and lemon zest, toss to combine and cook just a minute; then finish with the fresh basil.
Step 6
Serve ... As I said, a side dish is how I like to serve it; but it is a great vegetarian dish, or you can always add some sliced chicken to make it a bit heartier. ENJOY!
Tips
No special items needed.